A Comparative Study of Riparian Vegetation in Two Drainage Areas of the Black Hills

In recent years riparian or streamside habitats have received a great deal of attention by field scientists and ecologists. Considerable research has been conducted to determine the effects of grazing, mining, road building, logging, and recreation in riparian areas. The reason for this attention is the fact that riparian areas are extremely productive for livestock, wildlife, and fish. As much information as possible needs to be collected about riparian areas so they may be effectively managed. This study was conducted to characterize the vegetation associated with two riparian areas of the Black Hills of South Dakota. The geographical focus of the project was on two distinct drainages in the Black Hills -- the Rapid Creek and the Battle Creek drainage areas. Research was conducted to fulfil1 two objectives: 1. Determine how Black Hills riparian vegetation changes with variation in elevation, and 2. Evaluate differences between dominant vegetation of the Rapid Creek and the Battle Creek drainage areas. Results of the study provide a comparison of plant diversity and species composition in relatively undisturbed riparian areas. Such information will assist resource managers in effectively managing these important resource areas. In addition, it is hoped that the information will influence future policy direction by those entrusted with decisions shaping Black Hills resource utilization

The Transcriptional Repressor Glis2 Is a Novel Binding Partner for p120 Catenin

In epithelial cells, p120 catenin (p120) localizes at cell–cell contacts and regulates adhesive function of the cadherin complex. In addition, p120 has been reported to localize in the nucleus, although the nuclear function of p120 is not fully understood. Here, we report the identification of Gli-similar 2 (Glis2) as a novel binding protein for p120. Glis2 is a Krüppel-like transcriptional repressor with homology to the Gli family, but its physiological function has not been well characterized. In this study, we show that coexpression of Glis2 and Src induces nuclear translocation of p120. Furthermore, p120 induces the C-terminal cleavage of Glis2, and this cleavage is further enhanced by Src. The cleaved form of Glis2 loses one of its five zinc finger domains, but it is still able to bind DNA. Functional studies in chick neural tube indicate that full-length Glis2 can affect neuronal differentiation, whereas the cleaved form requires coexpression of p120 to have a similar effect. These data indicate that p120 has additional novel functions in the nucleus together with Glis2